Midfielders star in comic book-style video viral

Zinedine Zidane has made no secret of his admiration for Steven Gerrard (”Is he the best in the world? He might not get the attention of Messi and Ronaldo but yes, I think he might be”), so it is fitting that an animated likeness of the Frenchman goes off in search of the Liverpool captain in a new advertising campaign for a stripey German sportswear company.

We really like this clip but have noticed one obvious error - shouldn’t the backpack on young Stevie G’s back have an Everton crest on it?

[101GG]

 Zizou turns his immeasurable talent to the world of billiards

While we are certain that Zinedine Zidane excels at any sport he attempts, the pool skills shown above may not actually represent the Frenchman’s talent on the table.

After a little bit of research, we discovered that the video is part of a new campaign for Grand Opticals, the company who provide Zizou’s natty headbutt-proof glasses.

Tricky winger is “anxious and under pressure”, say Spanish press

The new La Liga season hasn’t even started yet, but the Spanish press are already trying to knock Cristiano Ronaldo from his lofty pedestal.

Marca have today run the headline ‘Cristiano cannot find his place’. They claim he is suffering from ‘Zidane syndrome’, as he is struggling to fit in with his new team. They assert that The Portuguese is suffering from anxiety and pressure, and that his colleagues believe he is crestfallen.

Despite having no evidence to back it up, the daily sport paper also says that Ronaldo has admitted to his ‘close circle’ that he has not yet assimilated into Manuel Pellegrini’s side, and that he would like to ‘be closer to the area’.

This all sounds suspiciously like a fabrication for a slow news day, but it is probably fair to say that C-Ron has failed to shine in any of Madrid’s gazillion pre-season friendlies.

French prankster intends to join the Florentino Perez revolution

A few weeks ago, Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was adamant that Franck Ribery would not leave the Bundesliga club this summer.

The handsome midfielder was present at Bayern’s first day of  training yesterday, but French daily sport paper L’Equipe believe he used the opportunity to drop a bombshell on new manager Louis van Gaal. Apparently, Ribery has expressed an interest in joining his national team-mate Karim Benzema at Real Madrid:

[Translated from French]

Ribery told L’equipe of his desire to move elsewhere: “It’s decided, I want to leave.”

When asked whether he intended to move to Real Madrid, or whether it was another club he wanted to go to, he spontaneously replied: “Yes, it will be Real or nothing.”

Die Roten’s general manager Uli Hoeness was not surprised by Ribery’s attitude, reasoning that “Life is not always a fairytale.” The former German striker, however, made it clear that the club will do everything in their power

The latest transfer gossip, rumours and damned lies…

Karim Benzema to Manchester United
Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas has conceded that while they don’t plan to sell Benzema this summer, they may receive an offer that is too good to turn down. Aulas explained his predicament with this rather wonderful analogy: “There is a tsunami called Real Madrid which provokes reactions at Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United.”

The Spoiler truth-o-meter: Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken of his admiration for the French striker before - comparing him to Zinedine Zidane - but he may delay a move until Carlos Tevez makes a decision on his future.

Jose Bosingwa to Bayern Munich
It looks like Chelsea are getting rid of one right-back who is good going forward but occasionally vulnerable defensively for another. Portsmouth have

Where the hell do they keep getting all this money from?

Hey, remember yesterday morning when we reported the comments of Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. You know, the comments that have appeared in most English papers this morning, almost 24 hours later? Well, he said that Franck Ribery will not be leaving the club this summer, and that it is not a question of money.

This attitude may change, however, when Florentino Perez offers to make him the third most expensive player in the world. According to AS, Real Madrid have ‘reserved’ €55m for the Frenchman - a bid far greater than the £30m reportedly being offered by Chelsea, and

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